What could be more exciting than a Christmas baby? I have often heard my mother-in-law, Alice Carter, tell of getting the turkey in the oven one Christmas Day just before heading off to the hospital to give birth to her first son, my husband Randy. New life is exciting anytime, but there is something special about Christmas beginnings.

I had the privilege to partner with Life Center Church in Spokane this Christmas season to share how we can enter into life transforming friendship with the one who was the first ever Christmas baby. Clearly God had been preparing hearts. There were close to 400 women present on that Friday night and 300 on Saturday. When I gave the invitation to invite Jesus into their lives, so many responded, there was no way I could count. Many others made the decision to return to a friendship with Jesus after having allowed painful experiences to create distance between themselves and God.

One woman found me in the restroom after the event. She told me how the Holy Spirit had worked in her heart through my talk. I had accurately described her situation. She was disappointed with God for allowing a profound loss in her life, but that night, she had decided to go back to him and allow him to walk with her through her pain.

Many of us suffer deep grief at Christmastime. We need more than a touching story to warm our hearts for an hour or two. We need a hope with which to anchor our hearts to God. We need to take lean in to intimate friendship with Jesus and grab hold of the hope of Immanuel: God with us. My recent grief journey, along with the message of Friend Me have uniquely equipped me to deliver this message with passion and authenticity. God is redeeming my pain to draw women to himself.

My most accurate guess is that 60-70 women were reborn in Spokane that weekend. This is the first Christmas they will grasp the true meaning of Jesus’ birth on this planet: the promise of His presence. We are not alone. God is with us. Life’s struggles, hurts and losses cannot crush us. Those of us who share a deep friendship with Jesus are never without hope. Thank you for partnering with me to share this hope with others, and celebrating with me the new birth of many Christmas babies.